Primary schools1 · best KS2 results first
Photo: Jo and Steve Turner · CC BY-SA 2.0B−School Grade
Schools in Horncastle · DfE, Ofsted
secondary results put Horncastle’s state schools ahead of 68% of towns in England; primary results, of 24%
In reading, writing and maths together, 56% of Horncastle’s eleven-year-olds met the expected standard, below both Lincolnshire’s towns (62%) and towns in England (62%). 4 state-funded schools are located in Horncastle’s built-up area. Horncastle grades B− for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #25 of 61 in Lincolnshire. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
State schools
4
1 primary, 2 secondary
Reading, writing & maths
56%
meet the expected standard at 11 · 2023–25
England’s schools: 62%
Attainment 8
48.6
GCSE average across 8 subjects · 2025/26
England’s schools: 47.3
Grade 5+ English & maths
50%
a strong pass in both · 2025/26
England’s schools: 47%
Town figures are pupil-weighted across the schools the grade uses; England’s are the average school.
What stands out about Horncastle’s schools
bothsecondary schools are run by one academy trust, Horncastle Education Trust1grammar school in Horncastle, selecting by the 11-plus
One trust runs much of it
4 of Horncastle’s 4 state schools belong to 3 academy trusts. Horncastle Education Trust runs 2 of them, including Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle and The Banovallum: 1,409 of the 1,409 secondary pupils. Who runs them ↓
A grammar school in town
Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle admits pupils by a test at 11. Their results count in Horncastle’s School Grade, as they are state schools many local children attend. After 16 ↓
Written from the Department for Education and Ofsted data on this page.
School Grade
Horncastle grades B− for schools
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
Primary: reading, writing and maths at 11 (56% meet the standard)Better than 24% of towns in England
Secondary: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (48.6 and 50%)Better than 68% of towns in England
The secondary figure lifts Horncastle; the primary figure holds it back.
Horncastle has 1 primary of its own with KS2 results, too few to judge on, so the primary figure uses the 1 graded primary in and within 3 km of the town (188 pupils in results). The secondary figure: 2 secondaries in the town, 247 pupils in results. Mainstream state schools only (grammar schools included); special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19 colleges are listed below but not graded. Each school’s results are compared with every school in England, then weighted by its pupils.
Map
Where Horncastle’s 4 state schools are
Each school at its address, coloured by its own letter and sized by pupils. Open a school for its own page. The dashed shape is Horncastle’s built-up area.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
PrimarySecondary (named)Special, nursery, 16–19Size: pupilsABCDNo letter
Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table. The 2 secondaries are named.
Getting a place
How school places work in Horncastle
Lincolnshire County Council handles applications for every state school in Horncastle, academies included. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.
Secondary (starting at 11)Apply by 31 October of Year 6. Offers on 1 March.
Primary (starting in Reception)Apply by 15 January before the September your child starts. Offers on 16 April.
Moving mid-yearApply to the council for an in-year place; it tells you which schools have room.
When a school is full
Every school publishes its admissions rules. Children in care come first, then, at most schools, brothers and sisters of current pupils, then those who live nearest. Infant classes are limited to 30 by law. If you’re refused a place, you can appeal to an independent panel.
Useful: Apply for a primary place (GOV.UK) · Apply for a secondary place (GOV.UK) · How admissions criteria work
How full each school is
Pupils on roll as a share of the school’s official capacity. The black tick is 100%.
The Banovallum99%
Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle86%
Horncastle incl. nursery66%
DfE register of schools (GIAS), January 2026 census. Capacity often excludes a nursery class, so a school with a nursery can show over 100%.
The schools
4 state schools in Horncastle
Each school’s own letter compares its results with every state school in England of the same phase: Key Stage 2 for primaries, GCSEs for secondaries. Open a school for its results, how its letter is worked out, Ofsted and a map.
Letters of Horncastle’s schoolsA 1B 0C 1D 11 without a letter
Secondary schools2 · best GCSE results first
Special schools, nurseries and colleges1 · no letter: their results don’t compare
Key result: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (GCSEs, 2025/26 provisional) for secondaries; the share meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (KS2, DfE’s three-year average) for primaries. Pupils: the January 2026 school census. No letter: an infant or first school (no KS2 tests), a new school, a small cohort DfE suppresses, or a special school, nursery or college. Independent schools aren’t included.
Ofsted
Ofsted inspections
Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.
Good 2Ungraded inspection only 2
Ofsted stopped giving one-word judgements in 2024. Until a school is re-inspected, its last overall judgement is its most recent single grade; a school judged years ago may have changed a lot since.
Since November 2025 Ofsted gives each area of a school one of five grades (exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention, urgent improvement) and says whether safeguarding is met, instead of one overall word. 0 of Horncastle’s 4 state schools have a report card so far; the others show their last inspection under the old framework. Ofsted is never part of the School Grade.
Who runs them
3 academy trusts
Academies are state schools run by a trust rather than the council: the trust employs the staff and can set its own curriculum and term dates. Admissions still go through the council.
| Run by | Schools | Pupils | Their letters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horncastle Education TrustQueen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle, The Banovallum | 2 | 1,409 | AD− |
| Wellspring Academy TrustHorncastle | 1 | 417 | C |
| Inspire Connected Communities TrustSt Lawrence | 1 | 179 | — |
After 16
Where Horncastle’s teenagers go at 16
In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.
1 of Horncastle’s 2 state secondaries has a sixth form: Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle.
Secondaries with a sixth form
1 of 2
state schools in Horncastle
Colleges within 12 miles
0
further-education and sixth-form colleges
Grammar schools in Lincolnshire
15
selective state secondaries
Special needs
Special schools and alternative provision in Horncastle
Horncastle has 1 special school (St Lawrence: 179 pupils). A special-school place isn’t applied for like a mainstream one: for a child with an education, health and care plan (EHCP), Lincolnshire County Council names the school in the plan, after asking the family’s preference. These schools have no letter, because their results don’t compare with mainstream schools’. Their cards ↑
Lincolnshire County Council’s SEND Local Offer lists support beyond these schools.
Towns its size
257th of 487 English towns of 5,000 to 10,000
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns either side of Horncastle, and the top and bottom of the group.
| # | Town | Schools | KS2 | Attainment 8 | Grade 5+ E&M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bowdon Greater Manchester | A+ | 83% | 78.4 | 99% |
| … | |||||
| 253 | Ashley Hampshire | B− | 68% | 40.4 | 31% |
| 254 | Lydney Gloucestershire | B− | 66% | 43.1 | 34% |
| 255 | Ushaw Moor and Bearpark County Durham | B− | 50% | 52.8 | 56% |
| 256 | Burscough Lancashire | B− | 64% | 42.4 | 38% |
| 257 | Horncastle Lincolnshire | B− | 56% | 48.6 | 50% |
| 258 | Aylsham Norfolk | B− | 55% | 48.6 | 54% |
| 259 | Calverton Nottinghamshire | B− | 58% | 49.2 | 45% |
| 260 | Fazeley Staffordshire | C+ | 67% | 41.3 | 34% |
| 261 | Pembury Kent | C+ | 63% | 43.8 | 40% |
| … | |||||
| 487 | Amble Northumberland | D− | 35% | 32.7 | 16% |
Neighbours
Horncastle and the places around it
Coloured by School Grade.
Woodhall SpaConingsby and TattershallBardneySpilsbyStickneyWragbyBillinghayHorncastle
| Town | Schools | KS2 | Att. 8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horncastle 4 schools | B− | 56% | 48.6 |
| Woodhall Spa 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 5.8 mi | A | 71% | — |
| Coningsby and Tattershall 4 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 7.5 mi | D | 51% | 39 |
| Bardney 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 8.7 mi | A | 69% | — |
| Spilsby 4 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 8.8 mi | D− | 51% | 38.4 |
| Stickney 2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 9.4 mi | D− | 38% | 28.3 |
| Wragby 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 9.6 mi | B | 63% | — |
| Billinghay 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 11.2 mi | C | 58% | — |
Woodhall Spa has the best-graded schools nearby (A). Small places often use the schools within 3 km, so neighbours can share schools.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Expected standard at Key Stage 2. The share of 11-year-olds who reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths together, in tests and teacher assessment at the end of primary school. We use DfE’s three-year average (2023–2025) to steady small schools.
- Higher standard. The share working at greater depth in all three. In Horncastle: 11% (England’s average school: 8%).
- Attainment 8. A pupil’s GCSE grades across eight subjects, with English and maths counted twice, added up. 50 is roughly a grade 5 in every subject.
- Grade 5+ in English and maths. A strong pass in both. Grade 4 is a standard pass.
- Provisional. 2025/26 GCSE figures are DfE’s first release; revised figures follow in February, usually within a point.
- Progress 8. Not shown: there is none for 2025/26, because these pupils sat no KS2 tests in 2020 (Covid).
- Free school meals. Pupils eligible for free school meals now, from the January census: the usual measure of how many pupils come from low-income homes.
- Independent schools. Not included: they publish no results comparable with state schools’.
Questions about schools in Horncastle
Are schools in Horncastle good?
Horncastle’s state schools earn a B− against schools across England: primary results beat 24% of towns in England; secondary results beat 68% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Lincolnshire council.
What is the best secondary school in Horncastle?
On 2025/26 GCSE results, Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle: Attainment 8 of 62.7 and 83% with grade 5+ in English and maths, against 47.3 at the average school in England. Results are one measure; distance decides most places.
Do Horncastle secondary schools have sixth forms?
1 of 2 do.
How do I apply for a school place in Horncastle?
Through Lincolnshire County Council, for every state school including academies. Secondary applications close on 31 October (offers 1 March); primary on 15 January (offers 16 April).
How many state schools are in Horncastle?
4 open state-funded schools are located in Horncastle’s built-up area: 1 primary, 2 secondary and 1 other (special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19). Independent schools aren’t included.
Sources: DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), Key Stage 2 performance tables (2023–2025, three-year average) and Key Stage 4 (2025/26, provisional); Ofsted state-funded school inspections as at 30 September 2026 · DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), further-education and sixth-form colleges · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.